Metaphor of the 'River Crab': Censorship and Harmony in Chinese Internet Governance

MAY 14, 2021 CMP STAFF

The metaphor of a river crab, a homophone for the Chinese word for harmony, has now become synonymous with internet censorship in China. This moniker is an evocative representation of Hu Jintao's buzzword harmonious society which was introduced agnst the backdrop of growing social discontent and the need to address tensions among different groups and classes, as well as promoting sustnable development practices.

First announced at the Fourth Plenary Session of the Sixteenth Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party on September 19, 2004, this concept med to envision a state where unity prevls through resolving underlying conflicts. Its formal introduction came with an intention to build a socialist harmonious society by mobilizing all positive factors continuously and enhancing societal creativity.

However, despite Hu Jintao's emphasis on harmonization as a strategic goal for the Communist Party to counteract issues like growing inequality and environmental degradation during economic development, it didn't escape controversy. The notion of harmonious society was intertwined with internet censorship, which has long been used by authorities to mntn regime stability.

To this , the concept came to be equated with suppression of voices online under the guise of social order preservation. The term itself became a symbol for censorship – being “harmonized” or “bei hexie” meant that posts were deleted due to perceived lack of harmony.

Another notable linguistic phenomenon was the term river crab, a homophone of harmony in Chinese which also gned online recognition as synonymous with censorship when people would refer to their posts being river crabb'd after being removed.

As China entered a new phase of development, Hu Jintao's legacy included his scientific view on development which was adopted over other concepts like democratic centralism and socialist market economy reform. Yet, it was the metaphorical connotations of these terms that would resonate more profoundly among the Chinese populace.

In , this essay highlights how language in China is not just a tool for communication but also a mirror reflecting power dynamics and ideological shifts within the political landscape. The evolving monikers like river crab and harmonious society show both the continuity of authoritarian control through censorship as well as its adaptation to new online environments.

All content ? 2023 China Media Project, HKU.

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